Somalia: Somali Official Calls for Crackdown On Families of Al-Shabaab Fighters in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 21 (SMN) – A senior Somali official has called on the federal government to expel the wives and children of al Shabaab militants from the capital, accusing them of living peacefully in Mogadishu while the group continues to carry out deadly attacks across the country.
Ali Jeyte Osman, the presidential envoy for the mobilisation of community defence forces known as Macawiisley, said it was unacceptable for the relatives of al Shabaab members to remain in the city while the group kills innocent civilians.
“We cannot allow a situation where al Shabaab leaders kill people every day, yet their wives and children live peacefully in the capital,” Jeyte said during an inclusive interview with Shabelle TV.
The former governor of Hiran region urged the federal government to launch operations aimed at identifying and removing family members of the militant group from Mogadishu, arguing that doing so would send a strong message to the fighters.
“There needs to be a clear separation between areas controlled by al Shabaab and the capital. Their families should not be allowed to stay here. They must all be arrested,” he said.
Jeyte described the proposed operation as a form of psychological pressure on al Shabaab, aimed at holding them accountable for continued bloodshed targeting civilians.
The Macawiisley militia, made up of local fighters from central Somalia, has played a key role in pushing back al Shabaab in the Hiraan region. Jeyte, a former regional governor, has led multiple offensives that have seen government forces reclaim territory previously under militant control.
Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group, has waged a deadly insurgency in Somalia for more than a decade, regularly targeting civilians, government officials and military personnel in attacks across the country. The group controls parts of southern and central Somalia despite continued offensives by Somali and African Union forces.
By Shabelle.
